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Fractal Design Define R5 Reviews

voodoo7817

voodoo7817

Member
I'm a big fan of my Fractal Design Define R4 case and I recently saw some reviews of their new Define R5 so I figured I'd collect and share them. All of the reviews are pretty favorable, and it looks like they made some small yet noticeable and welcome improvements to the excellent R4 and kept the price point more or less the same (~$100).

LinusTechTips: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_ZLKzqcUtM&list=UUXuqSBlHAE6Xw-yeJA0Tunw
Tek Syndicate: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GVxkeUSfI24&list=UUNovoA9w0KnxyDP5bGrOYzg
Hardware Canucks: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SRZIdbdcIiU&list=UUTzLRZUgelatKZ4nyIKcAbg
Bit-Tech.net: http://www.bit-tech.net/hardware/cases/2014/11/24/fractal-design-define-r5-review/1
OC3D TV: http://www.overclock3d.net/reviews/cases_cooling/fractal_designs_define_r5_window_case_review/1
Hexus.net: http://hexus.net/tech/reviews/chassis/77465-fractal-design-define-r5/
Kit-guru.net: http://www.kitguru.net/components/cases/leo-waldock/fractal-design-define-r5-chassis-review/
Tweaktown.com: http://www.tweaktown.com/reviews/6834/fractal-design-define-r5-mid-tower-chassis-review/index.html
Themodzoo.com: http://themodzoo.com/forum/page/articles.html/_/reviews/cases/fractal-design-define-r5-review-r123

I will not be upgrading from my R4, but I'm not sure there are many other cases that I would consider in this price range. It doesn't look like it's available at Newegg or Amazon yet, but I'm guessing it will be soon. Hope this helps anyone looking for a case!

Edited to add: On second review, it actually appears that the R5 case might be a little more expensive than the R4 ($110 vs $100 MSRP), but it's hard to tell since it isn't at the popular retailers yet. Additionally, the R4 is/was often able to be found on sale for $80, but it was originally released in 2012 and I don't remember the initial pricing of the R4 then or how quickly it was available at that $80 sale price. Either way, the R5 is a good case at a reasonable price and should be considered by anyone looking for an ATX case in this price range.
 
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I watched the Linus review.

As an R4 owner who really loves how solid and quiet the case is, I'm glad to see the line is still kicking and so highly thought of.

There's nothing there really that makes it close to being an upgrade option over my current R4 though. I like that the lower HDD case is more easily removable, and the front fan grille is more accessible for cleaning, as well as the lower grill being accessible from the front. Nice touch.

One thing I've been confused about on these cases is pricing. I've seen prices fluctuate from $75 to $120...and several spots in between...all in a matter of two months. Not just from Newegg either, but my local Microcenter seems to run deals on the R4 monthly.
I paid $80 (non-windowed), but no more than 3 days later it was back to $120. Now it's hovering around $100.

Weird.
 
From the Linus review, where they show the hard drive cages side-by-side, it would mean that you should be able to add at least one additional cage for more drives. I wonder if they're selling the cages, though. Could be a nice case for a file server, but a capacity of only 8 drives is pretty limiting, and rather meager for such a large case.

I'm really surprised they haven't come out yet with a redesign of the Define Mini. Something with 140mm fans, larger cutout for the CPU cooler mount, and more room behind the mobo for cable routing.
 
Carson Dyle said:
I'm really surprised they haven't come out yet with a redesign of the Define Mini. Something with 140mm fans, larger cutout for the CPU cooler mount, and more room behind the mobo for cable routing.
Click to expand...

Hope springs eternal! I just rebuilt my main PC... and was wanting just a wee bit more room for cables behind the mobo header.

It would be nice to have more than just 1 USB3.0 plug up front, too... (now that I have a mobo with a 3.0 header.)

It would also be nice to have fan control up front in lieu of the controller in the rear. Even just a 3-position switch, or some sort of low-profile rheostat knob.
 
Charlie98 said:
Hope springs eternal! I just rebuilt my main PC... and was wanting just a wee bit more room for cables behind the mobo header.

It would be nice to have more than just 1 USB3.0 plug up front, too... (now that I have a mobo with a 3.0 header.)

It would also be nice to have fan control up front in lieu of the controller in the rear. Even just a 3-position switch, or some sort of low-profile rheostat knob.
Click to expand...

As far as fan controls, I'll never build another system without a motherboard with at least three software-controlled case fan headers. The ASUS board that I'm using in the Mini is fantastic it that regard.
 
Nice to see the R5. Looks like it's a nice improvement over the R4, and it has definitely fixed my gripes with my R4:
1) Easier to snap on side panels
2) Flexible options on 3.5/5.25 drive bays
3) Easier to replace SSD's behind mobo tray without removing mobo
 
Carson Dyle said:
As far as fan controls, I'll never build another system without a motherboard with at least three software-controlled case fan headers. The ASUS board that I'm using in the Mini is fantastic it that regard.
Click to expand...

The Asus Z68 board I swapped into my Mini has plenty of fan headers... but I like my 3 case fans on a controller... but that's just my personal preference.
 
Looks like my next case! Clean look and silent, love it.
I have the CM 690 II Advanced and really like the case but it's huge...might be able to grab a few bucks selling it and get a Define R5.
 
When is this case coming out? Can't see it in stock anywhere or they show it on pre-order with no date.
 
slumbarr said:
looks like a lot of people are talking about R5, what's so special about it? For $110, its not cheap.
Click to expand...

Same price as R4 on release. It's not meant to be a cheap case, it's meant to be the best mid tower for quiet performance builds.

I'm not sure it needs to be special. It's just an improvement over an already nice case. R4 already had very few faults and many useful features (such as 140mm fan support throughout, removable drive bays, easy to clean filters, fan slot covers etc), and a pleasant minimalistic design.
 
I really like the R4 I have. I've got a 360mm thick rad, a 280mm thin rad, and a 120mm thin rad in the case, and it's still fairly roomy. I did notice that the D5 pump in the XSPC bay-res I have resonates a bit unless I have it on speed 4+ or at 1. Besides that it's a solid case.
 
lehtv said:
Same price as R4 on release. It's not meant to be a cheap case, it's meant to be the best mid tower for quiet performance builds.

I'm not sure it needs to be special. It's just an improvement over an already nice case. R4 already had very few faults and many useful features (such as 140mm fan support throughout, removable drive bays, easy to clean filters, fan slot covers etc), and a pleasant minimalistic design.
Click to expand...

Gotcha, R4 was pretty popular, I guess R5 is just newer and improved. It does look really nice, I gotta check it out in person.
 
I picked up a couple of R4's from the Egg @ $69.99 each with free shipping. Awesome deal on a awesome case.
 
slumbarr said:
Gotcha, R4 was pretty popular, I guess R5 is just newer and improved. It does look really nice, I gotta check it out in person.
Click to expand...

Having done the cheap case before I realized something. There's is one part of your build you won't change regularly and that's the case. Get it right and working in your case goes from a chore to being easy.

I've seen a lot of cases that call far too much attention to themselves. My R4 case is next to my HDTV and no one so far has ever noticed it. It performs looks nice and doesn't call attention to itself screaming " oh my god look at me I play video games!!!!" exactly what I wanted as I've grown older.
 
I'm planning a trip to Chicago at the end of the month. Nice to see they sell these at Microcenter. (Not Frys?!)

I plan on peeking into a few other cases, but I see myself picking this up.
 
I recently got a Corsair Air 540. Great cooling and love the 2 chambers, but man it's loud. I'm really liking the look of the R5.
 
Finally found a decent deal on the R5 without inflated prices.

Amazon has it for $110 with FS (Prime), so went ahead and pulled the trigger.
 
$80 for the R4 is likely not going to last, they just want to get rid of the remaining stock of an EOL case. But it is the more sensible choice among the two, at current prices.
 
Decided to keep my 690 CM II Advanced finally. It's quiet and still look cool.
I bought some new fans to replace both 140mm and a new 120mm so instead of 130+ I paid 20 bucks and will do with it.

But the R5 urge is still mostly present 😛
 
Related, does anyone know if Fractal is selling the 140mm fans that the R5 uses yet? I've only been able to find the versions from the R4.
 
Essence_of_War said:
Related, does anyone know if Fractal is selling the 140mm fans that the R5 uses yet? I've only been able to find the versions from the R4.
Click to expand...

I think they're mostly the same. The R4 fans were dead quiet, bought two of those for my current case and can't hear them.
 
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